Rhydin Road Trip

[Guest CaroMW]

They arrived in Exidor in the large grass field in front of the house of Janis and Claw Rift. Kaita looked up at the robot and offered a shrug.

“Ok, we’re here. You can come in if you want,” she said as she crossed the field over to the house.

As she approached the house Janis walked out on to the porch and waved them to the house.

“I’ve made sandwiches,” Janis said with a bit of excitement in her voice. She loved visitors.

[Guest Mazinman]

Saebel looked around the scenary from the optic sensors of the robot. He had developed a love of traveling after he left his home and teleportation represented his love in the most boring way possible. He could not help but wonder about the sights he missing moving to this location like this.

"Alright." Saebel responded to Katia as he emerged from the robot and followed her into the house as it changed back into car mode. He stayed quiet for the time being, awaiting to be introduced.

[Guest CaroMW]

“Ah… Saebel, welcome,” Janis said as she ushered them into her small two story farm house. She led them to the sitting room that was to the right of the front door. There were two couches sitting facing each other across the coffee table where trays of small sandwiches and other edibles had been set up with a pitcher of what looked to be lemonade.

On one couch sat Charon and Greg. Charon had taken liberties to starting on the small fingers sandwiches. She gave Saebel a little wave as she nibbled on a sandwich she had just taken from the tray.

Janis watched as Katia walked over and flopped on the other couch, taking up a glass of lemonade. She tapped her forefinger on her lips as she looked around at the unnervingly quiet room.

“This is my daughter Charon,” Janis said as she gestured to the younger version of herself. “And her boyfriend Greg,” she gestured to the gentleman sitting next to Charon. “I’m Janis. Please, feel free to help yourself to some sandwiches.”

[Guest Greg Rodriguez]

Greg stood up to shake Saebel's hand. "Pleasure to meet you, sir."

It was good to have company. For the most part, he and Charon had been house-bound, content to be with each other rather than out and about in the world. (or was that worlds?) It wasn't as crazy here as it was in the Vashtalian world, especially after that whole skirmish had broken out.

It did nag at him a bit. Here he was a stranger in a strange land. He should have been out and exploring and learning about his new home, but spending time with Charon was much more cozy and warm and entertaining. They were planning to attend some sort of pagan solstice event, something that rang akin to a carnival or a Mardi Gras festival on Earth. Janis had promised it would be great fun, and Greg was looking forward to the dance.

For now he focused on the newcomers. Katia had visited once before, but it was clear at that time the girl was in some sort of dire straights and he left the woman to be tended by Janis and Charon. From what Charon had told him afterwards was that the girl had recently "died" and been reborn to serve in the same vein as Meli in the guise of some sort of guardian angel.

The second newcomer Saebel was clearly not from Vashtalia; not by the clothing or the cut. He addressed this. "Seems you're kind of new around these parts. Don't worry. It took me a while to get used to the teleporting and stuff. Where are you from, originally? I'm from Earth. Of course if you haven't heard of the place, I wouldn't be surprised. Seems there are a lot more places in the universe than what I originally thought."

[Guest Mazinman]

"Thank you very much." Said Sabel to their host as he followed them to where the others were sitting. He waved politely to Charon and Greg.

"Same." Said Saebel as he shook Greg's hand. "You know I get asked that a lot but I always lived in a farm out in the middle of nowhere only occasionally taking trips to the nearest town. I never had an awareness of anything bigger than that in all honesty.

Saebel shrugged. "And, right now, I don't really care. I am where I am, where I came from does not matter."

[Guest Greg Rodriguez]

Greg's face showed that he was a bit puzzled. "Do you mean to tell me that you've never had the urge to go out and explore?" Clearly that seemed in great contrast to what the man seemed to be doing now, travelling from world to world.

Perhaps he needed some encouragement. "I seemed to be of the opposite vein. I have been studying the world beyond my own for years, looking for evidence of life beyond my home planet. In my research dealing with astro-physics, I had combed over maps and tape recordings and all kinds of wavelength applications, I had never had proof that there was any life beyond my world. Imagine my surprise." He smiled and took up Charon's hand in his.

[Guest Mazinman]

Saebel shrugged. "It was a good life. I couldn't complain. Still, once I lost my home wandering around is pretty much all I have done."

He chuckled.

"I can't claim any great scientific curiosity over my wanderings like you though. I just go somewhere, help out in whatever way I can, then move along to the next place."

[Guest CaroMW]

Janis raised a brow looking at Katia, who merely shrugged.

Katia relaxed back into the couch she had sat on and finished eating the small sandwich she had picked up. It would seem that Saebel was happy with a simple life, but who was Katia to stop that. She had never known a simple life, and was perfectly happy to relax and enjoy a very quiet life.

Katia caught Janis’s look, and with a sigh she stood up and followed Janis out of the room. It was time for their nice quiet discussion. The pair headed out the through the kitchen and then outside.

After their departure, Charon slowly, sat up. She poured herself a glass of the lemonade as she watched Saebel closely.

“So, being out and about hasn’t raised any questions at all for you about the worlds and or universes you lived obliviously of?” Charon said with a raised brow. “Surely, there’s more to your life than the simplicity of farm life, or the simplicity of what you tell us is your life. After all, it is in human nature to question everything and explore.”

Mean while, outside a staring match was going on. Neither spoke an audible word, but their discussion ensued.

Janis thought it would be best if Katia stayed clear of the Colonel until things settled down, as the poor man did not need to suffer a heart attack because of her. She did tell her about the dance and that she figured it would be best that, if she did go, she kept her distance from the Colonel. Katia, was not happy about this idea, but would honor the request.

Janis, also, expressed her concern about Katia hanging out with the young Saebel. Katia thought nothing of the relationship she was forming with the young man, but did take the concern into consideration as she was his senior by at least ten years.

Silence fell between the two for a moment before they began discussing the order of the day.

Katia gave Janis a slight bow, like a Japanese person would make as a sign of respect before she departed from the house and off into the woods.

Janis sat on a chair in the yard, preparing to wait for however long was needed.

[Guest Mazinman]

Saebel shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe I am just not human." He did not get why all the questioning about the way he moved. Its not a subject he had ever given much thought to.

"I don't know what to say. I guess I've always been more interested on the people and the sights of where I am than its name."

[Guest Greg Rodriguez]

Greg could almost understand. At first, when he was beginning his studies of the wonders of space, he didn’t need to know the names of the phenomena he was observing; but eventually his curiosity got the better of him as he wanted to know what cause the psychedelic colors and strange interstellar noises. That need to know got him two degrees from college.

And look how far that had gotten him now. Totally out of place, out of time.

Still he was happy for the change in his life, though he did miss his old family. He would have gone back, even if just to visit from afar, but he wasn’t sure of the outcome. He would have to discuss that with Charon.

Later.

“I suppose your right,” Greg admitted. “You don’t have to know what makes a rainbow to enjoy it.”

[Guest CaroMW]

Charon shrugged.

“I guess that makes things nice and simple, because you’re not over complicating things with information. Then again, there’s nothing wrong with wanting answers and wanting to know more,” Charon said as she slouched back on the couch, resting into the comfortable folds of the cushions and fabric.

“So, have you read any good books lately?” Charon was not sure what to ask now, but it seemed like this was perhaps a good place to start.

Janis and Katia returned to the room. Katia smiled to Saebel as she sat down on the other couch that sat opposite of the one Charon occupied. Katia peeled off her cloak and folded it over the arm of the couch before she too settled back into the comfort of the old couch.

Janis settled into her arm chair as she picked up the bag that contained her knitting. She pulled it carefully from the bag and inspected the work to see if she was on a purl row or a knit row. Once, determining she was on a row of knit she began to knit.

[Guest Mazinman]

Saebel chuckled at the book remark. It was obvious he stuck out like a sore thumb in this new environment he found himself in. He supposed he could try to fit in a little more but why pretend like he was something he was not. If he was understood or not by these folks then so be it.

"I borrow a book here and there from the people I stop to help out. They are good entertainment on quiet nights but usually I am so tired after working and moving all day I just drift away to sleep within getting much reading in."

Meanwhile he still stood. No one up to this point had offered him a seat so he kept standing. His father had told him that it was polite to wait until he was offered a seat before actually sitting down. Saebel was not the most polite person in the world but he decided to follow his father's advice and wait mostly because he had never been in a house that looked this expensive before so he had no idea what he was supposed to do or where he was supposed to sit.

Still, he hoped someone would offer a seat soon.

[Guest Greg Rodriguez]

Greg saw Saebel fidgeting from foot to foot and got the message. "Please! Sit! We're very informal here. Just pull up a spot and sit a while."

Watching the young man shuffling about reminded him on himself when he first arrived, not sure of what protocol to follow. And it was a damn sight newer to him, especially since there was just mere speculation and precious little proof that there was life outside of planet Earth, much less a thriving sentient population. It had taken him a while… actually was still taking him a while; to get used to the idea.

His eyes brightened a bit when the conversation switched to books. Charon was right, he was a geek; and what he couldn't investigate in person, he read extensively, slowly working his way through Claw's library (at least those book he could read. Many were written in elvish and other languages) He was pretty sure though that the intention was towards entertainment and not factual reading material.

"So," he started, trying to get the conversation going. "You've been cruising the countryside helping out then. Met any interesting folks? I know you helped out with the crash site. You probably brushed up against an oddity or two there…." Okay, that was pretty lame, but maybe it would get the ball rolling….

[Guest Mazinman]

"Thanks." said Saebel as he took a seat. It felt good to get off his feet after traveling all day.

"If you put the ship crashing as the standard I can't really say I have met anyone else interesting." Saebel said with a laugh. "Its pretty hard to identify bigger oddities than the Tim."

He chuckled some more then stopped as he moved on.

"I've mostly ended up helping out farmers and the like. For example, Katia and I have recently helped out a farmer whose well had gotten blocked and helped figure out what was the problem with a power station for a farming community. Its simple work but I find it pretty rewarding."

[Guest Greg Rodriguez]

“ ‘The Tim? ‘ ” Greg’s mind churned for a second.. “Oh.. that guy….”

He’d already learned that the tiny dragon with the telepathic talents was not a comfortable subject in this particular household, especially with Janis and Meli. He didn’t understand all the whys and what fors, but the impression he got was that the creature called the Rex did things, or was something, that they did not approve of.

So of course to avoid any discomfort on the subject, he simply avoided asking anything about him, even going so far as trying not to say his name as it seemed to make all the girls scowl at the thought of him.

Again he was thankful that Saebel re-directed the subject. “Have you thought about making your services a business? Not many people around here seem so technically inclined. I imagine it’ll earn you a few coins so you can continue travelling.” He didn’t know how long Saebel planned to stayed in these strange new realms. Greg himself thought about asking Lord Dracon for some sort of research position as well, knowing he couldn’t very well continue to crash with Charon (thought that was what he had been doing for some time now, and not minding spending his nights with the woman either.) He couldn’t very well go back home now, not after what he’d seen and learned, so his employment options were somewhat limited.

[Guest Mazinman]

Saebel could notice Greg quickly trying to change the subject. It did not surprise him as Tim seemed to get an extreme reaction no matter who was the person talking about him. He was a guest in the house so if the hosts wanted to change the subject then who was he to get in the way.

Saebel shrugged. "My car seems to generate its own power which covers travel and I usually get whatever clothing or food I need from the farmers that I help. If I charged anything for what I did I would not know what to do with the money."

He smiles. "Really, just the satisfaction of doing a good job is enough for me. Getting a job somewhere would mean losing my freedom and that is more valuable then anything I could be paid." There was no doubt in his voice as he said that.

[Guest Greg Rodriguez]

What Greg's attention latched onto was the car. "Your vehicle generates its own power? You need no fuel at all? No diesel? No fossil fuels of any sort? It is nuclear? Or maybe solar, perhaps?"

It was like watching the mad monster scientist in him rising to the surface of some deep late to strike at the lure of knowledge. "I would very much so like to see your car. The idea that it needs no fuel source at all! Amazing…."

Yep, the researcher bug had bitten deeply……

[Guest CaroMW]

Charon watched with a raised brow as Greg had suddenly become very excited by this new found technology. She looked from Janis to Katia, stopping on Katia with a look of perplexity on her face.

Katia caught Charon’s glance and shrugged as if to say, ‘What?’, but she uttered no words. Charon glared at her and Katia glared back. The pair in deep conversation amongst themselves though no word was spoken aloud.

[Guest Mazinman]

Saebel shrugged. "I've never had to refuel it. Thats all I know." He looked towards Greg. "I would rather not. No offence but ever since I got the car I've had people after me. Its been a bit of a quiet moment lately but I am still rather guarded when it comes to that because of it."

[Guest CaroMW]

Everyone’s eyes all seemed to be on Saebel now.

“Are you afraid Greg’s going to rat you out or want to steal it from you?” Charon stared at him with a raised brow.

“Surely not,” Janis said as she finished off a row on her knitting. “You are in good company there is no reason to worry,” Janis said to Saebel as if to offer him some sort of reassurance.

“It’s not like you really hid it,” Katia interjected as she looked up at Saebel with a smirk. “Besides if those people tried to follow you here, old Janis would know about it before they did.”

“We mustn’t keep badgering him,” Janis said as she started on a new row. “He is, after all, our guest.” Janis’ finished the row and set her knitting down in her lap and looked up. “I do believe there is a dance coming home,” she offered to the group as a change of subject. “I think that Lilka’s planning on going with Jason and everyone else will be there as well. Even the Colonel,” Janis said as she looked over at Katia briefly before picking her knitting back up.

Katia stared at Janis for a moment before she shook her head. “Good for him,” she said sarcastically. Katia did care, but she wasn’t about to profess it to the universe.

Charon watched the pair for a moment and was quick to think better of saying anything about it. “Yes…” she said thinking about the last dance. Had it really been that long? She looked over at Greg and shot him a crooked half smile. “I suppose we should make an appearance,” Charon said as she smiled slyly to Greg.

[Guest Greg Rodriguez]

Greg had softly tightened his grip on Charon's hand when she had replied to Saebel's statement about not wanting anyone looking at his car. It clearly sounded accusatory; and she seemed a bit miffed that anyone would dare suggest that he would do something sinister and underhanded. He just patted her hand, keeping her calm.

He personally had not taken any slight to it. Some people were just that way; though he really was curious now to see what made the thing go, especially since Saebel himself didn't seem to know.

Of course he brightened up when Charon suggested they attend the festival. He had been hearing little snippets and was curious to see. It sounded like a grand time, like the 4^th of July mixed in with Memorial Day, with maybe a little folksy tradition mixed in. Lots of fun in the sun and a big hoedown of a dance in the evening.

Besides they'd been a little cooped up. They really should make an appearance before tongues began to wag. "I supposed we should. It'll be good to get out and stretch our legs a bit, especially if the rest of your tribe is coming along. Besides, I can get in a little culture while I'm at it." He now turned to Katia and Saebel. "You two should come along as well. It'll probably be a welcome break from your travels."

[Guest CaroMW]

Katia shrugged in response to Greg’s implied question. “I use to go to a lot of occasions like this before, but was never really my own choice. I was always expected to be my commander’s date. It always felt like it was such a chore,” she said with a shrug as she looked over at Janis who gave her a reassuring smile.

“But with the way they use to throw that stuff I never really enjoyed myself. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to at least check it out,” Katia said with a shrug.

Charon smiled as she squeezed Greg’s hand. “Come on, we’re all going. You can’t just sulk around here all day,” Charon said with a wink to Katia, clearly trying to get the girl to climb out of her shell. “There are going to be a lot of people there. You’ll even get to meet my brothers,” Charon continued with a hopeful smile.

Katia looked from Charon to Janis and from Janis to Charon.

“I’ll be there you’ll be fine,” Janis said noticing the girl’s apprehension.

Katia gave a slight smile followed by a slight shrug. “Ok… I’ll go.”